æn ˈɛg (An Egg)

I composed a prose poem while I was bored between classes. I composed it using IPA, and for some reason, I prefer it that way.

I’ll give the English orthography version below it, but I really like how I can give a sense of me reading it to you. The transcription is very broad, not marking the differences between allophones and more turning IPA into another sort of orthography. If you can’t read IPA, then just read along, guessing what the words are, and check to see how close you were in the English version.

aj ˈdrɛmt ðæt ˈaj wəz ˈtræpt ɪn æn ˈɛg. ɪt ˈwʌznt ə ˈbæd ˈtræpɪŋ. ˈaj wəz ˈkalm n ˈhæpi. maj ˈlɛgz wɚ ˈkɚɫd əˈgɛnst maj ˈʧɛst, m maj ˈarmz ˈʤɛntli ˈhɛɫd ðɛm ˈðɛr ɪmˈples. ˈnʌθɪŋ kʊd ˈgɛtɪn. ðə mɛmˈbrenz əv ðə ˈtɪʃuz əv ði ˈɛg wɚ ˈfʌn tu ˈplej wɪθ.

bət ˈsloli, ˈsloʊli ðə ˈlɪkwɪd ˈkʊʃn̩ɪŋ mi ˈdrend əˈwej, n ðə ˈstrenʤ ˈwaɫz ˈklozd ɪn. ɪt biˈkem ˈmor m ˈmoor ˈdɪfɪkɫ̩t tu ˈbrið.

wɛn ˈaj kʊd ˈstænd ɪt ˈnow ˈlaŋgɚ, maj ˈfit, ˈniz, m ˈpaɫmz ˈpʊʃt əˈgɛnst ðə ˈwaɫz wɪθ ˈaal maj ˈmajt. ðə ˈwaɫz ˈkwekt ŋ ˈgroʊnd, m ˈwɪθ ə ˈskrim, riˈlist mi.

aj ˈlej ə ˈmomn̩t, ˈdezd ŋ ˈgæspɪŋ əˈmʌŋst ðə ˈʃardz əv maj proˈtɛktɪv ˈsfir. ðə ˈgraund aj wəz ˈspraɫd an wəz ˈhard, bət ðə ˈɛr ˈfɪɫd maj ˈlʌŋz. aj ˈgæðɚd ðə ˈʃardz əv maj ˈɛg, n ˈtɚnd ðɛm ˈɪntu ə ʃiɫd.

aj ˈstʌmbɫ̩d ɪnˈtu ðə ˈwɚɫd, tu ˈgow ædˈvɛnʧɚrɪŋ.

( English Orthography )

ði ˈɛnd!